U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill is demanding answers from the Postal Service on losses from the planned consolidation of 68 mail processing facilities, two of which are in the Springfield and Cape Girardeau regions, including higher-than-expected transportation costs that may undercut the agency’s argument for further closures.
In a letter to the postmaster general, McCaskill requested a detailed accounting of where USPS expects savings and losses, raising the potential overall cost increases to the USPS associated with consolidations such as fuel costs and overtime pay – as carriers work longer hours and travel greater distances to deliver mail.
CLAIRE MCCASKILL
“In total, the completed consolidation efforts associated with [USPS Consolidation] Phase II have actually resulted in a net spending increase of about $66 million in fiscal year 2015,” wrote McCaskill, a former Missouri state auditor. “While some of that increase may be attributable to delays in facility closings that had been scheduled for fiscal year 2015, I am concerned that further implementation of the [consolidation plan] could result in additional unforeseen costs. As you are well aware, the USPS financial situation is dire. The USPS has no financial flexibility to continue making decisions that both degrade its service and increase costs.”
McCaskill, one of the Senate’s most vocal and longstanding advocates for preserving postal service in rural America, is widely credited with having waged a successful campaign over several years to save rural post offices and maintain delivery times when faced with closures and the slowing of standards. Last year, following McCaskill’s advocacy to preserve postal services in rural communities, USPS ‘indefinitely’ postponed closure of the 68 mail processing facilities—answering her call for a one-year moratorium on postal closings until the impact of those closings is fully understood.
McCaskill recently demanded answers from USPS on how it will protect mail delivery for rural Missourians and efficiently manage the cost-sharing benefits with competitors to carry mail the “last mile,” especially in rural areas.
McCaskill is also a sponsor of the Rural Postal Act, a bill that aims to improve postal service, delivery times and standards in rural communities that have been disproportionately affected by cuts to the Postal Service. The bill—sponsored by Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota and also cosponsored by Jon Tester of Montana —would restore overnight delivery, return a faster First-Class mail standard, make six-day delivery permanent, and enact strict criteria the Postal Service would have to meet before closing a post office to ensure that rural communities are still able to easily access the mail system.
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